The South Carolina Teacher Expo aims to fill teaching vacancies across the state.

The one-day teacher job fair is sponsored by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement. It will be Friday, Mar. 29, at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia.

The Expo is one part of a continuum of programs and services offered by CERRA designed to improve teacher recruitment, retention, and advancement in SC.

CERRA’s Supply and Demand Report, released in January 2019, found that the state’s teacher shortage continues to increase. According to the report, more than 5,300 teachers did not return to a teaching position for the 2018-19 school year.

The number of students completing SC teacher education programs continues to decline, with fewer than 1,700 new teachers graduating in 2018.

This has left many districts scrambling to find quality candidates to fill positions. Many of the vacancies are in critical subject areas such as special education, mathematics, and science.

For more details and registration information, visit www.cerra.org/teacher-expo.html .